What for
many begins as a simple hobby to disconnect from daily stress can become a
spiral out of control. The story of a man in his 30s in Nara Prefecture set off
alarm bells in Japan, after his obsession with video games and gacha throws led
him to drop out of college, lose his job and end up in absolute bankruptcy with
a millionaire debt.
The taste
for consoles began in his childhood, playing about an hour a day during
elementary school and increasing to three or four hours in high school.
Entering a distant school that required a daily hour-long train ride, I would
take advantage of each ride to play games on handheld consoles. Despite his
parents' insistence that he improve his grades, the young man felt that he
would never meet his expectations and sought refuge from the constant family
complaints on the screens.
Entering
university in eastern Japan, his habit worsened dramatically during the summer
break of his freshman year, when he discovered a six-on-six online shooter. His
teammates' praise via voice chat made him feel valued for the first time,
changing his routine entirely: he worked part-time until midnight, played until
dawn, slept throughout the day, and turned the console back on in the
afternoon. After stopping attending classes, she ended up dropping out of
school after two years.
At the age
of 24 he got a job in sales, but work stress pushed him to seek refuge in
social games for smartphones. To advance and collaborate with his team, he
began to spend exorbitant sums on the gacha system, resorting to loans from
consumer finance companies to finance his addiction. His mental health
worsened, he quit his job, had his electricity cut off for non-payment and
accumulated a debt of more than $13,000 (about two million yen), being forced
to declare personal bankruptcy at the age of 30 before being admitted by his
parents to a rehabilitation center.
Video game
use disorder is a behavioral addiction formally recognized by the World Health
Organization since 2019. According to specialists at Kurihama Medical Center in
Kanagawa Prefecture, this condition is diagnosed when a person loses control
over gaming time, prioritizes screens over their daily activities, continues to
play despite suffering severe negative consequences, and experiences serious
problems in their family, academic, or work environment.
Recent
studies reveal that more than 12 percent of adolescents and 7 percent of young
people in their twenties in Japan show signs of this disorder, which is
becoming more common in high school and even elementary school students. While
prefectures such as Kagawa and local institutions have implemented
recommendations to limit screen time to 60 minutes on weekdays, experts point
out that restrictions alone do not address the emotional background,
emphasizing the need to repair family relationships and listen to young
people's personal difficulties.
